Life-saving apparatus.



J. A. JAKOBSEN.

LIFE SAVING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION PIL'ED APR.! Z9, 190s.

Patented Sept 27,1910.

UNIE STAS 1r anion.

JAKOB ADSER JAKOBSEN, OF ESBJERG, DENMARK.

LIFE-SAVING APPARATUS.

Patented Sept. 2'7, 1910.

Serial No. 429,932.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAKoB ADSER J AKOB- SEN, a subject of Denmark, residing at No. 25 Smedegade, in the city of Esbjerg and Kingdom of Denmark, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Life- Saving Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a life saving apparatus for lowering persons from burning buildings. The apparatus, which is adapted to be used in connection with a belt provided with a hook and a rope having a ring at each end for fastening the rope to the upper part of the window frame, comprises a pulley-like block, which consists of two halves and slides along the rope or through which the rope slides, the block being provided with a pair of arms by means of which the halves of the block may be pressed more or less together about the rope, thus determining the speed of the descent.

The drawing shows the sliding block.

Figures 1 and 2 show the two halves seen from the inside. Fig. 3 is a cross section through the entire block and Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the block.

Each of the halves has two shafts a and Z), each carrying one or two balls 0, so that the rope (Z, when the block is put together, will run at two places between the balls; the balls may be arranged as shown in the drawing which shows one half provided with two balls on the upper shaft, and one on the lower shaft, while the other half has one ball on the upper shaft and two on the lower shaft. At the top and at the bottom each of the halves has a strap 6 and a semicylindrical recess f, in which the rope runs freely.

When both halves are placed about the rope, they are united by a strap 9 forming at each end the pivot for an arm it. The arms 72, have at each side a projection 70 so that they will press the halves of the block against the rope when moved toward each other. The form of the halves of the block may vary, for instance the halves may be cup-shaped with holes for the strap 9 or they may consist of three bands, two of them carrying the shafts, while the third is surrounded by the strap 9.

When using the apparatus I suspend the rope with one of the end-rings upon a hook at the upper part of the window-frame, I put on the belt and hook its hook in the lower straps 6. Then I take hold of the arms 71, (which may also be adapted to be held with one hand) and slide down along the rope. The more the arms are pressed together, the slower the descent. If children or delicate persons are to be lowered, the rope is fastened to the belt and the sliding block is secured to the window frame; thus a person standing at the window may control the speed; if several persons are to be lowered it is unnecessary to draw the rope back through the slide-block each time, as both ends of the rope and the block are congruent, so that only these ends are changed and the arms it turned. The rope may be held out from the wall by an arm or the like or by making the hook, on which the rope or the block is suspended, suiiiciently long.

Having thus described my said invention what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. A fire-escape comprising, in combination with a rope, a block consisting of two cup-shaped members, suspending means for said block arranged at one end thereof and means at the opposite end of the block for securement to the person to be lowered, a pair of transverse shafts carried in spaced relation by each of said members, a pair of balls carried by one shaft of each member and disposed in close proximity to each other, a ball carried by the other shaft of each member and arranged to aline with the space between said pair of balls, the balls of the two members engaging on opposite sides of the rope, means projected through each of the members, and other means pivoted to the projecting ends of said last named means and having portions to engage the backs of the members to move the latter toward the rope.

2. A fire-escape, comprising, in combination with a rope, a block consisting of two opposed members, two sets of rollers in each member engaging opposite sides of the rope, an element projected through said members, an arm pivoted to each end of said element, projections formed on each arm to bear against the backs of the members, said arms I In testimony whereof I have signed my being reversible so as to be capable of operaname to this speclfication 1n the presence of tion from either end of the block, and sustwo wltnesses,

pending means carried at each end of the JAKOB ADSER JAKOBSEN. block said block being reversible so as to be Witnesses: capable of having its ends interchangeably HAMED KaosT,

used. J. ROTKJAR. 

